Nearly $1,200 was raised Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Buddy Pack food program fund-raiser hosted by Ayerco Convenience Center at 1208 Mark Twain Ave. in Hannibal, Mo.“It was one of our best (fund-raisers),” said Stephanie Thomeczek, CEO of Families and Communities Together (FACT), the Buddy Pack sponsor. “We raised nearly $1,200 in three hours,” she said. “That will feed about 600 kids for a week,” Thomeczek reported, explaining the children take home food packages on weekends. “We do 300 to 350 a week,” she said, so this nearly $1,200 “will basically cover two weeks.”The funds raised Saturday included the proceeds from selling the pizza and hot dog meals outside Ayerco, along with donations.“All the food is donated,” Thomeczek said, including the pizza, hot dogs, chips and soda. ... All the vendors donate the food.”She added that the band, Rock N Roll Revival, donates their time at this fund-raiser every year. “They gave us three hours” of music.Band members were Ethan Evans of Quincy, Ill. (substituting for Dave Uppinghouse), Donnie McLeod of New London, Kevin McLeod of Hannibal, and Jerry Brockman of Palmyra.Some of the crowd at Ayerco were dancing to the music, including Sandy Fuqua, Rita Coffey and Coffey’s daughter, Tristany, who were doing some fast dancing to “Beer Barrel Polka.” Also present were Jeff and Dottie Asmussen, eating pizza.Many children were having lunch and also being entertained, such as Kyleigh Cooper, who painted a picture after having her face painted.Ayerco employees Judith Allen and Carol Wilson were among the volunteers serving the food, soft drinks and snow cones.Several members of the Lone Wolf motorcycle group were there, including Tom Yarbrough and Rodney Brumbaugh, who said the group regularly gives donations to the Buddy Pack program.Some of the funds raised Saturday came from raffle ticket sales “just from that Ayerco,” Thomeczek explained. The raffle is a statewide fund-raiser by all Ayerco stations, and ticket sales will continue until the end of September. Prizes are a donated Yamaha Yuma scooter and five $100 gas cards.The scooter was on display inside Ayerco for the Saturday event.Tickets are $4 each or three for $10. When tickets are bought, buyers circle the county where they want the money to stay.“You can buy tickets anytime at Ayerco gas stations until the end of September, and the drawings will be first week of October,” Thomeczek said. “You need not be present to win.”Students in elementary and middle schools in Hannibal and Palmyra receive the food packages each Friday. They are selected by their school principals, Thomeczek said. The Buddy Packs have been distributed in Hannibal for several years. In the 2012-13 school year approximately 350 children received them each week.The public is invited to volunteer by helping stuff the food packages once a month or helping deliver them to the schools. To volunteer call the FACT office at (573) 221-2285.

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